2. Heartbreak and Revelations
Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer stood in the middle of the Tree Hill High Gymnasium. The place where she had believed all her dreams would finally become reality.
It had been four years since the Ravens had gained the title of State Champs. A lot had changed in four years. Haley and Nathan were still happily married. Jamie, their four-year-old son was fantastic.
Brooke's clothing line- Clothes over Bros- had shot off and was going really well and she was happy in her relationship with a person named Owen, who was a bartender at the local club, TRIC.
Karen, Lucas's mom, had decided to travel the world with Keith's and her daughter, Lily. She knew Keith would want her to be happy and when Andy Hargrove tracked her down and proposed, she accepted.
Everyone but Peyton was happy. The happiness Peyton had once felt had turned into a sharp, burning pain. And it was all her fault. A year after she had moved to L.A. to take the internship Lucas had encouraged, he had flown out to L.A and asked her to marry him.
Peyton knew she loved him and was in love with him, but she also knew that they were too young. She had turned down the proposal, but she had said she still wanted to be with him. Lucas hadn't listened and he stormed out of the hotel room they had shared. Not only had he stormed out of the hotel room, he stormed out of her life.
Lucas was now engaged to his book editor, Lindsey Strauss. They had come back to Tree Hill to be married.
Peyton couldn't bear to think about Lucas being married and not being a huge part of her life-her whole life. It just wasn't possible. They were meant to be together. They had made it through car accidents, school shootings, two dead moms, a dead uncle, and a psycho stalker. There was no way they couldn't make it through this. Peyton felt a tear slip down her cheek and swiped it away.
She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and punched in her best friend's number. She answered on the second ring.
"Brooke, it's me." Peyton said in a shaky voice, trying to hold back the torment of tears she knew was about to come.
"P. Sawyer, what is wrong? Come on, you are scaring me here." Brooke Davis asked, concern filling her voice.
"Brooke, I need your help. Can I come over?"
The tears were coming steadily now and there was nothing Peyton could do about it.
"What kind of question is that? Of course you can come over."
"Okay. Thank you. I'll be there soon, okay?"
Brooke said okay and then they both hung up. Peyton wiped the tears off her cheeks, took a few deep breaths, and headed out to the parking lot where her Comet sat.
Lucas Scott watched as the Comet sped out of the high school's parking lot and down the street. He had watched as the woman in the driver's seat walked out of the gymnasium, shedding silent tears.
Lucas had felt the strong urge to go to her, to comfort her, to pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately. But he couldn't. He was engaged to be married in one week.
He shook his head and climbed into the vintage Mustang his Uncle Keith had left him after his murder. Pulling out of the parking lot, he drove down the familiar streets of his hometown, the only town he would ever feel comfortable in, and came to a stop at his childhood home.
It was all his now. His mom had left it to him when she decided to travel the world with Lily and now Andy. Soon he would be sharing it with Lindsey. Walking into his bedroom, Lucas went straight to his closet. On the top self, hidden in the very back, there was a box. A box Lucas looked through every day. A box Lindsey could never see. A box full of things he cherished. Things Peyton Sawyer had given him, mixed CDs, sketches, letters, and pictures. A box that reminded him of his life with her. As if, he could ever forget, even if he wanted to.
Peyton stood outside Brooke's house and knocked on the door. When Brooke answered, you could see the concern for her best friend on her face.
"I've told you many times P. Sawyer, you don't have to knock. Just come in. It's practically your house too. Now, come, sit, and tell me what's wrong."
Peyton followed Brooke into the well-decorated living room and sat on the plush couch. Brooke sat beside her, arm around Peyton's shoulders.
"I love him Brooke. I love him so much and he doesn't love me back. And there isn't anything I can do about it." Peyton sobbed. She drew in a shaky breath, "I lied when I said I didn't come back to Tree Hill for him. Because I did. That's exactly what I came back for."
Brooke's heart broke for Peyton. After all they had been through- the two times they were caught in the Lucas, Peyton, Brooke love triangle, two dead moms, a school shooting, being attacked by a psycho, everything… they had survived through it. And their friendship was even stronger because of everything that had happened.
"Awe… Honey. It's all going to be okay. Trust me, it is. He does love you Peyton. I know he does. Why wouldn't he?" Brooke rubbed her hand up and down Peyton's arm, trying to comfort her, knowing there wasn't any way to comfort her but still wanting to try.
"But he doesn't love me. He wouldn't be marrying Lindsey in a week if he did." Peyton's crying had stopped but a few stray tears slipped down her cheek.
"Peyton, you haven't read his book yet have you?" Brooke asked curiously. If Peyton had read Lucas's book, she would have no doubt that he loved her. That he had always loved her, and would always love her.
"No. I haven't. And I am not going to. It'll be too hard for me. I should just move back to L.A."
Peyton sat up, wiping the rest of her tears away.
"I'm not going to the wedding, I am moving back to L.A." Peyton said stubbornly.
Brooke looked at her and realized just how serious she was.
"Peyton, sweetie, you are just talking like this because you are upset right now. You can't be serious." If she was, Brooke didn't know what she would do. When Peyton set her mind to something, she never backed down.
"I'm dead serious Brooke. I can't do this. I can't watch the man I love with all my heart marry someone else. All this is my fault. I should have said yes when he proposed. Now I can't change anything that is happening. I was stupid and now I have to deal with the consequences."
Brooke just looked at her. "What?" Peyton exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.
"You can't move back to L.A. You hated it there. And you can't just up and change your whole life just because things didn't go your way. I understand how you might feel, but seriously, Peyton. Think about what you are saying you are going to do."
Peyton paused, thinking. She knew she sounded crazy, but she couldn't help herself. She just didn't know what she was going to do without Lucas being a big part of her life. He had always been a huge part of her life until now. And she was lost without him. Brooke walked over to her and hugged her tightly. "P. Sawyer, I know you will do what you think is the best for you, but just remember all of you friends that are here in Tree Hill. We'll all miss you and we all love you. But if moving back to L.A. is what you think needs to happen, let me know what I can do to help you."
Brooke sighed, on the verge of tears herself. "I love you P. Sawyer. And I'm always here for you."
Peyton was about to cry again. She didn't know what had come over her. She knew she couldn't just leave Brooke or Haley. They were her two best friends. And she didn't want to miss seeing Jamie grow up. She knew she would miss Nathan too. However, she also realized that being close to Haley, Nathan, and Jamie would cause her to have to be close to Lucas and Lindsey and whatever children they had. That was something she was just going to have to deal with. But she knew she couldn't avoid Lucas or Lindsey forever.
"I love you too B. Davis. You are my best friend. If I didn't have you I don't know where I would be right now."
"Peyton, I think you need to go talk to Lucas. It needs to happen and I think now is the time. You've waited to long." Brooke gave her a little push to the door. "Go on. What are you waiting for?"
